


To Try (currently being edited)

by Neigecerise



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Fluff and Angst, I still don’t know why I’m writing this NOW, I’ll add more tags when I think of them, MariBat, Marinette moves, Slow Burn, a fact known to all., and I’m not going to try to fix it., and currently banned from the life sustaining, and the night before, anyway, but I won’t go to sleep. Until nature deems, eventually, for inspirations will be in the summary., here is the maribat that no one asked me for, i should’ve slept last night, is that an AU? I think it is but I don’t know, it needed. Because sleep is for the weak., nectar known as caffeine in all forms, only a few chapters will be angst, or the characters wreaking havoc, seriously though why am I writing this, so bye for now, the rest will be fluff, this was inspired by the contingency (credits, we all know I’m awful at tagging things
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:14:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 13,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25961941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neigecerise/pseuds/Neigecerise
Summary: I was in the middle of reading The Contingency (by:AbyssalGuardian)And I was thinking that there’s only two fix’s (that I have found so far) that are maribat and happen to have this AU. I fell into the deep pit known as maribat back in may, and I have read every single work in every ship regarding maribat. (My favourite ship is Timinette, which is how I found the contingency.) so I’m writing this. I really like dickinette, so I figured this au might be interesting for this ship. I have no clue what possessed me to write this, but I’m bored and I need a reason to post consistently. So without further ado, I present this work of disaster to the fellow victims of the fluffy poison known as maribat. (It feels like shopkins, once you read one, you’re gonna be here for a while.)I was also informed that the ages are a bit wonky. I had to change them so the fit a bit more for clarification:The class is anywhere from 17-19 some are younger some are olderFor this book dick is 19Marinette is 18Jason is also 18Damian is 13Tim is 16 (17 in a few months though)Bruce is 39Alfred’s age will never be known to anyoneChloé is 18
Relationships: Actually - Relationship, Chloé Bourgeois/Jason Todd, Chloé Bourgeois/Jason Todd platonic, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Dick Grayson, because we love good friends, i haven’t decided that yet., i haven’t decideeeeddd, i’ll add more as i go - Relationship, so maybe side romance?
Comments: 170
Kudos: 243





	1. Poison

Pain. 

It had been her best friend for awhile now. 

Her old one had left her awhile ago too. 

Everyone had. 

Their kindness felt like a façade, designed to conceal the candied dagger resting in the hand just out of reach. 

It was like the sweetest of posions. 

Intoxicating. Until it no longer needed to be. 

“-and he proposed too!”  
Lila’s sickly sweet voice drifted to the back of the city bus, a ring glittering on her finger.

Marinette assumed she was adding to her latest lie; her ‘boyfriend’ Damian. 

This lie greatly offended her in at least five ways: 

One- the Damian she was referring to, billionaire Bruce Wayne’s only biological child, was barely 13 years old.  
Two- the second great offense. The ring on lila’s finger, supposedly a $25,000 custom, could be found in the clearance section of a thrift store. Purchased from Walmart for $46.  
A great offence in the name of fashion. 

Three- Lila didn’t seem to realize who would be their tour guide. The unfortunate soul who had volunteered? 

One Richard Grayson. 

Or Damian’s older brother. 

She truly pitied him. 

Four- Lila had said it loud enough so she could hear. 

She and Chloé were still considering sewing her mouth shut.  
Why? Everyone in their class held the knowledge that they were the only single people in the entire class. They revelled in that knowledge, because it meant that they were both less than. Who would go after them anyway? 

Unbeknownst to them, both Chloé and Marinette had a much different reason for being single: the choices were between approximately three people:  
Chat noir, obsessive, narcissistic, and annoying as hell, Lila’s sheep who had since left the class,  
and Lila herself. She would deny it until the day she died, but they were very well aware of her relationship status. 

And five- if Lila did get sued, (she was going to ensure that) neither Marinette or Chloé would see the aftermath. Why? Because they weren’t coming back to Paris. Not that anyone else knew that. 

They had bought an apartment (as roommates because they need money to buy other stuff too, and it looks pretty suspicious when you empty your entire bank account at once, and proceed to fill a new one with $100,000 dollars. )  
They weren’t staying with the class full time. 

Their plan? Move out of the hotel a few days before they leave.  
That day, for better or worse would be tonight. 

If she could see the disaster waiting to happen,  
She might’ve gone back to Paris. 

Years of building a not so carefully crafted web of lies getting torn in minutes... might just be worth it.  
By the time she’s done fantasizing about Lila’s inevitable defeat, they had arrived at their next destination: Wayne Enterprises.  
“You have fifteen minutes to look around before the tour starts, we need you all back by then!” She hears Miss Bustier call out after the class, most of them long gone.  
Marinette and Chloé decide to stop for coffee before the inevitable happened. 

~Comme La Chance L’aurait~ was a cute cafe, to say the least.  
It was also modern.  
White walls surrounded the area, small corners of exposed brick peeking out in just the right places. Dozens of plants (mostly succulents) hung from the ceiling, while others snaked up the wall. 

Everything was a little odd.  
From the circular ordering stand in the center of the cafe, to the animals that roamed around inside. 

It made it bright, and inviting. 

Too inviting if the amount of people bustling around inside was any indication. 

With their coffee in hand, they looked to find one of the only rarities within the warm shoppe: a free table.  
Upon realizing there was no empty tables, they settled for asking to sit by someone else. 

There was a man sitting at a large table on the far right, so they decided to sit there. A big table meant he wouldn’t be to bothered by them... right? 

They had been right. Chloé tapped him on the shoulder, while Marinette addressed him. “Excuse us Monsieur, we were wondering if-“ he looked up, took one look at her, and gapped. She couldn’t help but feel self-conscious. The man’s face quickly changed from surprise to a smile that rivalled sunshine, Illuminating his face, and the dark bruises beneath his eyes (ie. dark eye bags when you don’t sleep properly for extended amounts of time.) voice giddy, the man said something that made her freeze. “You’re MDC!” 

After she recovered from her momentary shock, she took a few seconds to stare at the man. He couldn’t be older than her, in fact, he seemed younger. 17 at most? 

“How-“ she started, before being cut off with the answer. “Your jacket.” He said, pointing to the left corner, shimmering in the light. Pale muted sequins scattered downward, causing the appearance of falling snow. “Those sequins are from MDC’s personal collection; one for every person she cares about. She put 300 for he 300,000 followers. Each sequin that’s for someone important has a little detail to resemble them painted on.” It was her turn to gape then. She had said that when she was fourteen. That was four (Almost five) years ago. “Are you hear for business? Because I’ve been looking to commission you for a while.” He said, looking up at her again. 

“Actually,” she said, before pausing to grab one of her business cards. “Me and my friend are moving here.”  
The card she gave him was one she reserved almost exclusively for celebrities with an order that needs to be done immediately. 

She doesn’t know how, but he seems to know that too. 

“Call the number when you would like to set up a meeting to talk about what you want.” She smiles at him, her sunshine almost rivals his own. 

Walking off, she keeps the sunny smile on her face. 

Today was going to be a good day. 

She is proven wrong minutes later. 

The tour is interesting. Really interesting and informative. 

Their tour guide (Richard, she mentally chides herself) talks about the details of how the company was formed, and how to create a successful business. 

It only adds to her positivity. 

Her good mood comes crashing down when Lila gets her greasy little hands on her sketchbook. 

“How could you!” Lila weeps, turning the pages in her overly dramatic fashion. 

“You stole my designs!” She rips a page out then.

Another soon follows. 

Within minutes, the hours of hard work she poured into her work, is ruined. 

She feels empty. She hears the clatter of footsteps, and the rumble of curiosity. 

She dully notes her tour guide (Richard?) extending a hand for help her to her feet.  
“What’s going on here?” His voice is deep, but soft.  
If feels warm. 

“S-she stole my designs! I’ve been working on them for over a year!” Marinette winced. Lila should really reconsider her dream of acting.  
“Really?” Her tour guide (Richar- oh never mind )  
says. His voice sounds slightly more humorous now, like he’s just heard a joke.  
“Would you mind showing me where your signature is Miss Rossi?” She says, turning to her.  
It’s not a question she was prepared for. She stumbles over he words, lightly cursing in French.  
“I-I-I don’t u-use one.” Lila seems satisfied with her argument, until their tour guide brings the paper up to see. “If these are indeed your designs, why would your classmate’s signature be here first?” He doesn’t say it in an accusatory way, he just says it. His voice is still light, gentle. Even with Lila. The conversation lasts only minutes, but she doesn’t hear another word. She’s too busy wondering what kind of person he must be. 

A true peacekeeper, that’s for sure. He gets Lila to apologize to her too. She goes to thank him afterward. 

“Monsieur Richard, I just wanted to thank you for what you did... it means a lot to me.” He smiles, nods and turns back to continue. But just before he does, he turns back to her. “Dick.” Before she can ask what he’s talking about, he speaks again.  
“Call me Dick please.” The last thing she sees of him before he turns back are his eyes. Blue, pure blue, sparkling with mirth.  
And she decides that this wasn’t such a bad day after all.


	2. Fight or flight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Packing in peace was all that she asked for. 
> 
> She did not ask for a confrontation with a bunch of sheep, a quick chat with some vigilantes, or a slithery sausage haired girl to try and steal her stuff. 
> 
> Her only solace? 
> 
> The opportunity to fix those hideous costumes.

No. Please be a dream.  
“It’s not a dream maribug. I assure you.” Chloé laughed.   
Marinette had never considered herself a minimalist. Most spontaneous creative people can’t. But I’m all her years of hoarding little trinkets she might be able to used on an outfit later, she didn’t think she had this much. 

Her shock was palpable. 

“We’re gonna need more boxes then.” She sighed, blowing her slightly overgrown bangs out of her face. 

They didn’t have more boxes. 

“We could bring half over and unpack the boxes, and bring the boxes back to pack up the rest?” Chloé offered. Marinette growled. “Or you could take a nap~” Chloé mused, smiling pleasantly at the death glare she was reviving. “Sleep. Is. For. The. Weak!” Marinette grit out, wobbly on her feet. 

“Well then,” Chloé started smirking. “We better get to work.” 

An hour and a half later, they were half packed, sprawled on the cold floor in thin layers of sweat. 

“I’m taking a roof break.” Marinette said finally, sitting up. 

“A roof break?” Chloé raised an eyebrow. 

Marinette sighed. “A break in which I stay on the roof with the cold for a while with my books while humming or singing in the night quietly.” She turned, stepping toward the door in little bunny hops.   
“Mind if I join? Chloé asked teasingly. 

“Be my guest.”

They were on the roof in minutes. 

Cold air whistles through the navy sky, the sea of stars twinkling in the moonlight. 

Music drifted through the air too, the soft harmonies falling to shadow. 

Marinette looked to the sky, feeling the most and the least emotion she had ever had.  
Silence. 

Thin. Still. And present.   
It felt like the world was collapsing as it built itself back up. 

Like she was thinking about everything she had ever done in her life... like her mind was a clear slate. (Do people say clear slate? Or is it called something else?) everything and nothing twisted into twins, the fates soft hum pulling them forward. 

It was beautiful in a way she didn’t know how how to explain.   
Like a kiss in the dark.   
She looked up at Chloé whirling and whirling in complicated twists and spins, twisting herself with the dark. 

The peace was shattered with a loud, ear splitting laugh. 

She had been too calm- too open. 

The laughter continued, growing louder and louder- 

She spun, hair slapping her cheeks, pulse deafening. Only to find- nothing but her flowery pencil, rolling on stone. 

That’s when she had heard it.   
Or didn’t she supposed.   
The soft tapping of Chloé’s feet on the ground had evaporated. 

The silence was suffocating. 

Lila had been watching their room for five minutes, when she decided to trust her instincts: they wouldn’t be inside. They won’t come back. 

“Well well well.” A voice drawled, and Lila froze. 

“Looks like the cat caught the fox.” Adriens smile sharpens in the corners, growing larger.   
“Why are you here?” And before she knows what’s happening, he’s in front of her, cold fingers encasing her throat.   
“Time to start talking.”

Three floors above them, Marinette started awake to two women. One had auburn hair cascading around her shoulders. She smelled like fresh air.   
Beside her, a woman with blonde hair pulled into twin tails smiled down at her.   
“Hey sunshine! Names’ Harley. And this,” she said,   
Motioning to the woman beside her. “Is Pam. So, what’s ur’ name sugar?” 

Marinette rubbed her eyes. What on earth-  
She turned, and found Chloé curled up beside her.   
“Marinette. That’s my birth name.. but- Marie is fine. “ in truth, Marinette had wanted to change her name for years. She didn’t know why but, she just had. It wasn’t why she had changed it now though. Marinette reminded her of her childhood. The need to be perfect, the stress of others expectations strained on her. Marie was fresh. She was not Marinette Dupain-Cheng anymore. Never again.   
“Marie. Marie L’espoir. It’s nice to meet you!” 

The conversation flowed smoothly from there.

Until it was almost midnight anyway. 

That was when the bats showed up.   
ALL of the bats. 

The issue?   
Marinette, who hadn’t slept for three days strait or was it four? Couldn’t remember their names.   
What she did know? Who had the worst fashion. 

Traffic lights  
The man with the most offensive mask she had ever seen  
The other red one  
Batsy (the cape is the only redemption)  
The bluebird who she wouldn’t need to lecture 

And the people who she didn’t know but had suits that weren’t class A what the hell is this fashion choice section. 

Before the batsy with the nasty fashion could get a word out Marinette’s lack of caffeine began to speak for her. 

“I don’t know who any of you are, but I have a word of advice.” Before she can speak again Chloé jumps on the conversation.   
“Before she can say anything else, we’re really sorry, she hasn’t slept for a week and refuses to sleep so I’m sorry for what’s about to happen.”

Traffic light by glares, hand twitching near his katanas. The rest look curious. 

“Starting with traffic light boy!” Marinette annonces, pointing at the offending costume.   
“The colours are fine. But the design! Don’t event get me started on the design! It’s so-“ Marinette continued her rant, much to the amusement of the people surrounding her. Red hood snickered uncontrollably, until she turned to him. “And you?! You wear that-that thing over you head as a fashion choice! Don’t you have any-“ traffic lights snickered too this time.

She turned to Red Robin. “I won’t address the issue. If you can’t see it you might be legally blind.” She turned to batsy. “Your cape is the only redeeming quality of whatever this disaster was meant to look like.”   
She turned, walking towards her hotel room once more. “I’m designing new ones weather you like it or not.” She opened the door only to be stopped by a question she forgot to answer. “What about them?” Red hood said, motioning to the rest of their team. “What about them?” Marinette replied.   
“You gonna roast em’ too pixie?” He asked. 

“No.. why would I? Their outfits could use an upgrade, but they don’t make me want to gorge out my eyes, so they obviously did something right.” 

“....is she always like that?” He asked Chloé, who smiled fondly at her best friend. 

“...no. She’s kind. Too kind. She lets people use her. She thinks that...she thinks that if she can just   
Help someone more.. it’ll be enough for all she can’t help. She’s used that argument ever day.   
Then.... no. Nevermind. I should go. I-I just-“ 

She crumpled to the ground like paper. 

She felt warm arms wrap around her.   
They didn’t leave until long after she fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m proud of myself. Two chapters in a day that are actually an acceptable length!!   
> That’s a new record! See you all next time!


	3. Be careful what you wish for

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bad day turns worse with Lila. 
> 
> (Notes)   
> I’m really surprised. I’m glad to see people are actually enjoying my work! Thanks for reading everyone!
> 
> (This will be updated again tomorrow and maybe twice today.)

Marinette (Marie?) was still considering her options to become as immune to Lila as possible.   
Which meant searching for a permanent solution. 

Which is how she ended up here.

In the back of the tour (again) with a trusty pair of earplugs. 

That were proved useless the moment Lila opened her mouth.

“Yeah, the wedding is going to be beautiful! I can’t invite you guys though, something about social-“ 

Marinette was not a happy camper.

“My Damiboo said He would love to meet you all though!”   
Lila continued to prattle on about her supposed wedding until they arrived at the Wayne botanical gardens (I believe that’s a thing in this universe?) 

Which Marinette (Marie?) could proudly say would be the best part of the day. 

She had been right.... for the most part. 

Lila, with her usual lila-ness just had to talk. 

“I even helped pick a few roses!” Lila said, pointing to a group of chrysanthemums. 

Marinette almost felt like Lila had done a great service of good to her and Chloé. 

She had rid them of their friendships and most social interaction it’s true... but if their friendships were that fragile, they would’ve just ended on a worse note then they had ended. 

She also let them make friendships with each other.   
A friendship where they didn’t try to push each other for free clothes, or money or food. 

It was nice just being friends. Not business partners. 

Richar- er Dick was quite happy go lucky. 

The entire day. 

It reminded her of Adrien. The old Adrien. 

Before he was ever obsessive, or pushy.   
When he was just Adrien. The sunshine child.   
The innocent cinnamon roll who was her friend. 

Sometimes she wished he was still her friend.   
Then she could help him.

That wish turned into a nightmare. 

While the walked deeper into the gardens, Adrien just stood there.

Watching them. 

Marinette would be lying if she said she wasn’t a little unnerved. 

It was... creepy. 

She searched his eyes- tried to.   
There wasn’t anything to search. 

They were empty pools of green.   
She wondered when they became that. 

Or perhaps they had always been.   
She couldn’t remember a time when they weren’t. 

Near the front, Lila subtly glanced back at Adrien.   
He was scary. 

But he had his information, and she had hers. 

“You know, last time I was here, I got to help Batman!” The words spilled out of her mouth. 

She NEEDED his attention. 

Adrien turned his head, intrigued. 

Perfect. 

Motioning him over, she reviewed her plan.   
It was fool proof. 

And she was just the fool to prove it. 

If all went to plan, she would kill to birds with one stone. 

Well... three birds. 

Lila smirked. 

By the end of the trip, Chloé and Marinette would be dead... and it was all going to plan. 

“-I got to help Batman!”   
Marinette heard Lila. She was practically screaming, her words echoing throughout the garden. Was she trying to get them captured? 

Marinette scowled.   
When they got caught, it would be Lila’s fault. 

Even Monsieur Richard- Dick was looking back at Lila, frowning slightly.   
It was an odd expression; for someone so happy. 

It did manage to grab Adrien’s attention away from them though, for that she was grateful. 

They reach the center of the garden a few minutes later.   
There are a few people standing there, but the first one she notices is a little boy. 

He has green eyes that remind her a little of Adrien’s old ones.   
They show emotion.   
But they’re cold. Harsh. 

That reminds her of Kagami.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to thank everyone who’s read this for reading (leaving comments if you have and leaving kudos. I’m happy people are enjoying it.) 
> 
> As of now I have a general plan for how this story is going to go, unless I choose to make a few changes here and there. I can say this will be a long one though. Not 100 chapters, but still pretty long.   
> I also used (Marie?) for most of this work because everyone (except two people) know her as Marinette, or Miss Dupain-Cheng. It will change eventually though.


	4. To whom it may concern

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette doesn’t exactly like Damian.   
> Damian doesn’t exactly like Marinette. 
> 
> Unfortunately for them, everyone else seems to want to change that.

Damian Wayne. The name comes to her mind immediately.   
Because Marinette, unlike Alya, does her research.   
He was standing at the front of their meeting spot, waiting. Rather impatiently. 

He glared the moment he saw them.   
Then he walked over to his brother. 

The boy is clearly fuming, and making no attempt to hide it. She can only catch the smallest snippets of their conversation, the low whispers getting dragged away with the wind. 

“fifteen minutes! All for what Grayson? Some-“   
The wisps of conversation are abruptly cut off by none other than Lila herself.   
“Stop arguing! My Damiboo misses me so much, and you two are slowing us down. Now move!” Lila doesn’t seem to realize the great mistake she’s made. 

“....your Damiboo?” Dick give Lila the most skeptical look Marinette has ever seen. it’s the first time she’s seen his eyes lacking the mirth they glitter with. 

“Yes!” Lila exclaims, looking positively annoyed. “You know, Bruce Wayne’s blood son!”   
Damian’s face turns murderous.   
“He’s thirteen, isn’t he?” Dick’s voice is phrased as a question. Marinette knows it’s not. 

It’s a warning. 

He’s granting her a chance to backtrack, take back her words. 

She’d be a fool to take it, admit a lie that would permanently damage her chances of success in the world. 

She’d be a greater fool not to. 

“Miss Rossi?” His tone is dangerous. 

He wants an answer. 

And she needs to choose quickly. 

“You already have my answer. He is my fiancé.” Lila says coolly, attempting to walk past them. 

“And you have mine.”

Damian lunges. 

He doesn’t land on anything but the hard ground. 

He looks up, meeting soft cerulean eyes. There is a fire burning beneath them, and odd determination filled with conflict. 

Because she shoved Lila out of the way.   
And she didn’t know why. 

She hated Lila. She had torn her apart, ruined everything she had ever come to love. 

It didn’t mean she deserved the same.   
As angry as she was at Lila, as much as she hated her,... she still held a spell of compassion for her. 

However awful she was. 

She extended a hand to Damian. 

He didn’t take it. 

“What. The. Hell. Was. That.” He spat at her, venom dripping from every word. 

Marinette looks to Lila, almost wistfully.   
“As awful as she is, she doesn’t deserve to have her life ruined. And neither do you. “ she turns back to him, face softening.   
“Fighting fire with fire won’t put it out.   
It will grow the flames until they consume you both. Prove that you’re better than her through your own actions. Not others.” 

Damian scowled at her. 

He didn’t say another word. 

Neither did she.

Lila came by later to yell at her. For “making her look foolish.” 

Marinette stoped walking to look at her. 

“I do not make you speak. Your words make you foolish Lila. Not me.”

And this time, when she left, and heard Chloé shouting at Lila... 

She didn’t dare turn back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for another short chapter. I can’t say if I’ll post on Friday (I’m going on an 8hour road trip) but I will write one while I wait to get there! Hopefully I can post a few. See you all tomorrow (if I finish packing up my room that is.)


	5. Riddle the way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette knew it. 
> 
> Of course this would happen.   
> And like most awful things in Marinette’s life, it was all Lila’s fault.

They never made it to the second half of the tour. 

Marinette had learned two important things:   
Gossip spreads quicker then it doesn’t here  
And Lila is a bigger idiot then she thought. 

Why did this happen? 

She still didn’t know.   
But it did result in all of them held captive by the scarecrow.   
Lila had been crying hysterically for the last few minutes, while Marinette and Chloé attempted to not get them all killed. 

Their plan was simple. Take out the goons in a pattern that would leave everyone at the least risk possible. Then take out scarecrow.   
It wouldn’t be easy to do.

But it would be far harder to not do anything and escape unscathed. 

Marinette looked to Chloé. The smallest glance possible. 

Chloé nodded softly. 

Then they sprung into action. 

They were impeccable partners, moving swiftly.   
For someone who hadn’t slept for several days, she was doing incredible. 

That was until the scarecrow used plan two. 

Fear toxins. 

They had two issues that hadn’t been as prominent as they thought. 

One- there were two leaders here.   
Scarecrow, and the riddler. He had been standing in the small corner of shadow just beyond where their view had been when they had made their plan. 

Two- they had gotten themselves affected by the toxin, and Lila was the one trying to answer the riddles. 

They couldn’t answer everything properly, not like this. They could hear the screaming of civilians in their head, they could see the tortured bodies littering the streets. It was just a fear. Just their subconscious. 

“What has an eye that takes ever path it goes, but is incapable of sight?”   
Predictably easy.   
Lila struggled though.   
Marinette knew she wouldn’t get it. But she also knew she would regret doing this. 

It would be worse if she lit Lila get it wrong.   
“A hurricane! That’s the answer!” She shouts.   
It reverberates through the garden. 

Eyes snap to her. Or she thinks they do.   
Dead eyes don’t move. But the eyes that block her own, eyes that look at dying bodies, and destruction she couldn’t fix, they see it. 

They see their eyes. Filled with fear, and maybe pain. But eyes filled with life.   
She uses that to push herself forward.   
People are relying on her. And she’s not going to let them down.   
“I’ll answer your riddles. Every single one I get wrong- y-you can use this.” She pulled the knife she kept tucked away for protection out. “Only on me. I answer your riddles, and no one else gets hurt.”   
The eyes watching her shift to horror. She knew the bodies in front of her were not real. But she still felt responsible for all of this. This was her fault. Not Lila’s, not Damian’s.   
“No.” The voice isn’t who she expected.   
But that makes her panic more.   
Because it’s not one voice. 

It’s five.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m going to try to update this again tomorrow, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to. See you all tomorrow (hopefully)!


	6. What not to do when your life is in the line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I just deleted my last copy of this while I was closing a comment page. I really wish I had backed the last one up. I was actually close to finishing that chapter. Anyway, you can look forward to the first bit of the next chapter, (which i guess i’m doing today too.)   
> Thanks for reading. I don’t exactly remember what I wrote, but here’s a try.

Chloé really didn’t know how she had ended up here.   
It was one of the great secrets of life. 

When she had first gotten to know Marinette, she learned two things.   
One- Marinette will always put others first, no matter her opinion on them.   
Marinette seemed to think others were more valuable than herself. If she had the chance, she would take the blame for something so someone else didn’t get punished for something she always insists is her fault. Therefore her responsibility.   
Chloé knew Marinette. She really knew her. But she also knew this trait of her friend was just her nature. There was nothing they could do about it. 

Two- Marinette is the most generous person she had ever met. Whatever the case, the girl would go out of her way to make things easier from others.   
She took on their teacher’s work load, with the excuse of them being really stressed, and needing a break.   
Or she would give her classmates free things because they needed it. Or just because they couldn’t find another one. 

And she never asked for anything in return. She never wanted anything but for others to be happy. 

Which is how they got in their current situation. 

Chloé has known exactly what Marinette had been planning from the moment she saw her eyes. 

Her eyes had been filled with fear.   
Marinette’s eyes never looked like that. Not even when she was in danger.   
But she was scared. Scared of her death. Scared of what she might leave behind. 

But she was ready for it. 

Because Marinette had been preparing for her death.   
Chloé moved the moment she could.   
“No!” Words tumbling out as she lunged for her friend.   
Other voices echo her words, causing her to stop short.   
She looks around the area, searching for the source of the sound. Everyone is wide eyed, and looking around themselves. 

They don’t know who said that.   
Marinette however, does. 

Her eyes are blown wide, face crinkled in panic.

She knows exactly who said that. She knows exactly who is against her sacrificing herself so they can live. 

And looking into her eyes, Chloé knows too. 

Alix still didn’t know how to apologize to Marinette.   
How exactly do you and apologize to the friend you abandoned for a liar who happens to be interested in someone almost half her age?   
She had no clue. 

But when Marinette gave herself up so they could live, alix realized she might not get the chance. If she wanted to show she cared about Marinette, it would have to be through actions, not words.   
She did say one word though. One single word before racing toward Marinette.   
No.   
To say that she did not agree.   
To say Marinette should never have had to risk herself.   
To say she wasn’t going to be a pawn anymore.   
She surged straight into danger to get her. 

And this time?  
She didn’t back down. 

Adrien would easily admit he was not a good person. If a few sacrifices were necessary to ensuring he escaped unscathed he would gladly hand them over. 

Just not Marinette. 

Because Marinette was HIS.   
They were soulmates. Even if she didn’t admit it. 

Not that he wouldn’t be opposed to her death.   
Because he wouldn’t mind it if she was still HIS property at the end of the day. 

But alas, he’s pretty damn sure it isn’t legal to marry a corpse. 

Damian had grown in the three years he had been in Gotham.   
His protest to the woman’s death was a symbol of that. Or rather, it would be if he said that because he genuinely cared about her. 

Because he didn’t. 

And though he would never admit it in life or death, He did care for Grayson. 

And his reputation. Letting someone die would probably get him in trouble.   
But Grayson did express some interest in her. No matter how much he downplayed it. 

So he protested to her rather untimely demise. Reluctantly, but still. 

Progress towards not finding a reason to hate the world. Besides his animals.   
Apparently   
He required more social interaction, and animals didn’t count. 

He was also robin... far more competent in a situation like this...

So he spoke up. With four others apparently. 

Dick would be lying if he said he wasn’t panicking.

A civilian (JUST A CIVILIAN, NOTHING ELSE TO HIM AT ALL) had just put herself in danger to help others, and no one had put in any effort to help her. 

Years of being a vigilante helped him there.   
Of course, the collective “no!” He happened to be participating wasn’t making this any easier. 

Going in with no weapons could be dangerous, and being exceptionally good at using almost anything would be extremely suspicious.

So he did the only thing that he really could do:   
Join the team effort until the rest of his family got here. 

Marinette was genuinely panicking.   
Risking yourself so others could escape was not supposed to include others throwing themselves in the very danger you just did, (a little hypocritical) to stop you from risking yourself to save their lives. 

Marinette had a plan to escape after them. Probably. It wasn’t exactly a solid plan that wouldn’t guarantee she caught a few bullets, but she would still be alive! 

Probably. She hadn’t exactly had the time to think this through, but that was besides the point. 

Much to her relief and utter horror, (those costumes had permanently traumatized her)   
(Most of) The vigilantes of Gotham (the bats? They were mostly birds though so that didn’t make much sense..) arrived before her friends could throw themselves into the danger that she did. 

They finished the fight surprisingly quickly.   
Riddler and the scarecrow were on their way back to where they came from, and she was preparing to get a witness statement. 

Glancing at her friends, she knew exactly what was coming.   
Because they were all glaring at her. 

Worried friends + glaring always ended in one thing. 

The 436th of Chloé’s don’t use yourself as a sacrifice to save others from danger lecture. 

And by the looks of it... Chloé would be receiving some help. 

She was right. They all lectured her.   
All FIVE of them.   
She was there for a good three hours.   
And when they finally got to the hotel (they still hadn’t finished moving all the boxes without being suspicious, Marinette splayed across the bed, exhausted she found peace. Until Chloé spoke again. 

“...so, got anything you want to tell me about your little crush?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is in the works. (And i’m backing it up this time. )   
> The world needed to teach me to not have only one copy of something I guess. Still kinda upset though.
> 
> And I fell asleep in the middle of writing this. I literally woke up on my computer. 
> 
> So if half of it sounds a little off, that’s because I finished the second half in the morning, and I’m still kinda asleep. (It’s when we’re talking about how you should apparently spend time with actual people and not just animals for social interaction.)   
> And sorry this is so late! I was supposed to post last night, but apparently, I was busy being asleep.   
> Au revoir!


	7. Don’t mess with Marinette

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette gets stalked, interrogated by yet another person, and gets forced to put an end to her work for the day.  
> And it is all 100% Lila’s fault.  
> Oh, and she causes a little bit of personal entertainment (Aka chaos).

If Marinette was being entirely honest with herself, she would admit that yes, she did indeed have a very tiny crush on their (very cute) tour guide. But when you live in a city where magical butterflies prey on your emotions to turn you into super villains so everyone is emotionally stunted, you’re never entirely honest with yourself.

So no, she did not have a crush on their very cute, kind tour guide.

But even if she was honest with herself, she would never ever tell Chloé the truth.

She really didn’t want another Adrien incident.

Unfortunately, the world seemed to disagree with her very logical conclusion.

Because Chloé, and apparently everyone around her were very aware of her (extremely tiny, not large at all crush.)

She could already hear the endless teasing.  
That was partly because Chloé was participating in said teasing at this very moment, but that’s beside the point.

So, she replied in the only way she could without genuinely lying to her friend. A very mature, adult-like response.  
Sticking her tongue out at her friend was an extremely mature response.

Chloé just laughed.

And this time, Marinette did too.

“Ready to go home?” Chloé asked, blue eyes twinkling.

Marinette only smiled in response.

Moving the last of the boxes to their apartment was less difficult then they expected.  
“Now we just need to unpack.”

Unpacking is significantly harder when you start spontaneously laughing hysterically  
when anyone says anything.

Marinette was starting to question her sanity.

But she did know one thing.

“Um- Clo?” Marinette said, folding the last box.

“Yeah?” Chloé was organizing the kitchen at the end of the hall.

“I-I think we’re missing a box.” Marinette said, looking for her most valuable item.

“What are we missing?” Chloé said, poking her head out the doorway.

“My sewing machine! It’s in the same box as all of my sewing stuff except for what’s here!” Marinette was standing by the door, clearly jittery.

Chloé sighed.  
She really needed to get rid of Marinette’s coffee.

Not that she would ever get her hands on it.

Marinette had ensured that.

The issue with Marinette not sleeping for some amount of time she could not name ~~because she didn’t know~~ Because it was disclosed information, was that she didn’t always think properly.

Going out at night in Paris was beautiful...  
but this was Gotham.

And Marinette was already gone.

Marinette knew four things:

One-her sewing machine was still at the hotel  
Two-Chloé was close behind her, and still attempting to catch up  
Three- someone was following her  
And four-that someone was not Chloé.

So Marinette did the only logical thing:

She walked into the nearest alleyway.

And her stalker followed.  
When she turned around to face her stalker, she was wildly disappointed.  
If they wanted to stop her, they should at least have the decency to not look like a wannabe tree.

Honestly, did these people have no shame?  
Gluing wood to your outfit does not make you look intimidating, and is indeed not a fashion trend!

“Do you want to explain why you’re following me tree face?” Marinette said. She was not impressed.

“Give me all your money! Or-or I’ll shoot!”  
The man held a gun in shakily figures, pointed directly at her skull.  
No prior experience then.  
This should be fun.  
So Marinette laughed merrily at his threat.

“How about...” Marinette drummed her fingers on her cheek in thought. “No.”

The man shot the ground by her foot.  
A warning. Oh goodie.  
She hopped to the side, purposely teetering on one foot. A dare. He man shot the ground near her foot again.

Marinette giggled before hopping to another spot.

Marinette formed a little dance with it, dodging bullets with little hops.

She was almost certain the bullets were rubber, or a plastic of some kind.

By the time he had reached his last bullet, he was completely fed up with her.

And in his utter irritation, he had let her get too close.  
Because now, the man was zip tied to a light post, all while Marinette danced around him, waving large bills in his face. All while humming a tune.

Chloé stood a few steps behind her, head in her hands.

The man had fallen asleep at this point, so Marinette walked back to Chloé, a Cheshire grin spread wide across her features.

“What the hell am I going to do with you?” Chloé asked, looking up at the sky.

When she looked down again, she and Marinette were face to face with Robin. Again.

The small boy had a scowl on his face, eyes narrowed in irritation.

“Traffic light boy. We meet again.” Marinette said, before mimicking his sour expression.  
“Indeed we do.” Another voice said gruffly.

Batsy is here too then.

“That was foolish. Why would you go into an alley when you’re being followed?” Robin asks demands .

“I knew what I was doing. At as you can see, I’m alright.” Marinette motions to herself, then the man, who is still tied to the pole.

Apparently, that isn’t enough for the “I can’t get a decent outfit to save my life” duo.

Marinette answers their questions without delay, before quietly leaving the conversation.

Now to get her sewing machine.

When she enters her room to dramatically retrieve the final (and arguably the most important) box, she is met with one issue.

That issue?  
The box is nowhere in sight.

Marinette calmly stalks the halls until she reaches the door at the end of the hallway.

Burning hatred flares up when she hears one noise that has been around her for most of her life: the soft melodic hum of her smooth, fancy sewing machine.

In one Lila Rossi’s current living quarters.

So Marinette does yet another logical thing.  
Because as class president, she made it extremely important that she had a key to every single room her classmates would be occupying.

And it was for this very reason.

So she opens Lila’s door with a mildly ~~threatening~~ concerned aura.

She’s walking out of the hotel with her supplies and machine 15 minutes later with a bright smile on her face.

Lila would wake up in a couple hours.

Probably.

Her good mood is ruined once more when Chloé tricks her into drinking her “sleep coffee”. Aka coffee with sleeping medicine strong enough to make her sleep for at least six hours.

This was a bad day. A terrible day.

And for the strangest reason, she couldn’t help but feel like tomorrow would be a day to remember.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> when you are being stalked, please do not do what I had Marinette do in this situation. That is dangerous, and shouldn’t be attempted unless you have no other choice and KNOW what you are doing. Also, I’m sorry this is so late. Apparently vacation includes not spending all your time writing, so I wasn’t allowed to work on this until now.  
> So I apologize for the odd writing.  
> I still haven’t received my caffeine.


	8. You win some, you lose none

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette really needs coffee, Chloé has other plans  
> Lila wakes up to a nightmare

If she was asked, Marinette would deny direct participation in Lila’s downfall.

Because direct participation would fall upon Lila herself, the knife Lila’s hair had gotten to know, and her partly sewn, partly duck taped bedsheets. 

Thank goodness Lila had been asleep.   
But that was also why Lila had ended up with her new style. 

She had left the sewing machine on.   
She had almost broken Marinette’s most prized item beyond repair! 

Lila’s new style was a natural consequence of her actions. 

So in the case of direct participation, it had been all Lila’s fault. 

Mostly. 

Despite the first portion of Lila’s inevitable downfall finally falling into place, Marinette was not a happy camper. 

Because someone named Chloé was giving her a very hard time. 

All she wanted was a little coffee. 

Just a tiny, little bit. 

Because three cups of coffee to start her day was not much. 

It was a minimum. 

And apparently Chloé didn’t understand that. 

Because she had decided it was in her best interest to dispose of her wonderful stash of magical, wonderful, life fulfilling coffee. 

So no, she was not a happy camper. 

On the bright side, today was the last day she would ever have to see her classmates! 

That was something to look forward to. 

When Marinette actually saw Lila, she was beyond surprised.

Because Lila had attempted to glue and tape her hair back to her head. 

Marinette had overestimated her.   
She didn’t know someone could be so genuinely stupid. 

She almost felt bad.   
But Lila was still the center of attention.  
So in all technicality, Marinette had done Lila a massive favour. 

The final day in Gotham with everyone is well spent.   
Alix And Nino even come up to apologize to her and Chloé.   
But Marinette knows she can’t attempt to mend something without knowing where the other half is.   
So in return (however reluctant) Marinette tells them the truth. 

Who knew it could be so simple? Not easy.   
But simple. 

A few words can change the tide.   
You just have to want to change it. 

Chloé honestly doesn’t know how to react to the last day with everyone. 

She can’t help but feel bittersweet. 

She is met with two (three) unfortunate sights in less than twenty minutes. 

One- Lila and her new fashion statement 

Two- Marinette is not even near her. Instead, she’s at the front of the line, having a seemingly pleasant conversation with the tour guide she (totally has) certainly does not have a crush on. 

Three- Marinette has obtained caffeine without her immediate knowledge.   
Where caffeine and Marinette went, disaster always followed. 

Whenever she found who introduced Marinette to plagg, she was going to have a nice, long conversation with them. 

Alix And Nino also apologized to them, so that was nice. 

Lila sticking her face in her business was less nice. 

Marinette had gone off to talk to the tour guide she definitely didn’t like for the sixth time that day. 

And little miss taped tails (because of her sausage ponytails, and her tall tales) decided to confront her in the bathroom. 

Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.   
What does she think this is, an anime? 

While Lila is accusing her of ‘destroying ‘ her hair, she loses a sausage. 

Then she leaves, neon orange shoes snapping on the floor. 

Apparently Marinette has a lot of influence over their tour guide too. Chloé can’t decide if that’s a good thing. 

Influence usually goes both ways. 

This is proven when Lila accuses Chloé, and Marinette seemingly convinced said tour guide that Chloé is indeed not guilty. (No that he seemed like he was going to blame her anyway. But as usual, that’s beside the point.) 

What a day. 

Lila wakes to the most horrific sight she has ever seen since Marinette Dupain-Cheng steeped foot into her empire. 

That horrible, worse than Marinette thing? 

Her beautiful, luscious (obviously better than one Marinette Dupain-Cheng) hair scattered across her bed in jagged edges. 

This is a nightmare. Just a nightmare. 

She just needs to get out of bed-   
What the- 

Lila finds herself literally sewn into bed.   
And she can’t move. 

What did she do to deserve this? 

She’s obviously nothing less than saintly, so why would anyone-   
Lila screamed. 

This was NOT happening. 

It’s Alya’s fault she ends up with glued hair.   
She would usually be angry, but she was never going to go out with nine bald spots, and the most uneven bowl-cut in existence. 

After all, the winner of the game always have to look good.   
Not that she had won. Yet. 

That’s the glory of a game you invented. 

It was made to win.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lila gets karma, part one of forty five. 
> 
> Let the war begin. Not that it’s really a war though, because only one side is participating in any revenge whatsoever.   
> Sorry Lila. I mean, I don’t actually mean that, but at least she doesn’t end up dead. 
> 
> By the way, Lila’s sneaky little game is a stupid idea. Especially if your opponent knows exactly how to beat it.
> 
> Also- sorry for yet another late chapter. I was feeling sick today after the gondolas, (motion sickness is the worst, the only moving thing I don’t get a headache on is horse back riding at this point)   
> So I wasn’t writing for a while. I’m on part 2 of my road trip tomorrow,so I don’t know if I’ll write another one tomorrow, but I will try to get one out. 
> 
> Get ready for Lila’s great defeat. The best part is that she causes it. :)  
> Au revoir!!


	9. A witch’s wail or, Lila gets more karma (pt.2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lila lies, and causes her own downfall. 
> 
> Postscript- sorry I haven’t updated as frequently as I’ve wanted too.   
> I’m currently on a road trip thing for my name best friend’s birthday, and I haven’t gotten as much time to write.   
> I can’t imagine it will get much better for the time being, because my school starts on the 1st, and it’s the first time I’m going to have actual homework. (My previous school had ‘homework’ in the form of art projects, and short stories. (Which is why I left. I was busy working on things like physics, and calculus, things we were supposed to be learning, while the rest of my class was working on basic geometry, and multiplication. (I’ll explain more if I ever do a Q&A for those who are curious. I might do one at the end of this book. )

If Marinette ever meets someone who has a lower IQ than Lila, she would be genuinely impressed. 

These thoughts were brought to her mind in light of recent events, better known as Lila ruining her reputation. 

And it was Lila who ruined her own reputation, thank you very much.   
Marinette had no participation in the events that resulted in today’s chaos. 

Well, direct participation anyway. 

It was her turn to babysit one cheese loving cat,   
who may or may not have been the catalyst for one unsuspecting sausage haired girl’s downfall and the destruction of her life... not that anyone had to know that. 

Lila had been stupid enough to lie about one Damian Wayne. 

Again. 

And unfortunately for her, the Wayne’s seemed to have eyes and ears everywhere. 

Because exactly thirty minutes later, Lila found herself being stopped just outside the airport. 

With thirteen lawsuits. 

For billionaires, they seemed to have a habit of getting rid of their problems (and frustrations) with lawsuits for an awful lot of money. 

Oh well. Too bad, so sad, should’ve stopped while you had the chance. 

Did she have anything to do with the lawsuits being handed to Lila? 

Maybe. (Yes.) 

All she had done was have a pleasant conversation with one Dick Grayson about how Lila had destroyed her life. 

But he had been the one to convince her to sue. 

That being said, she had been the one to inform him of her words regarding his brother, but aside from that, she was entirely innocent. 

If you didn’t count plagg roaming off with her blessing to cause just a little more damage. 

No wonder Lila chose to wear a wig.

Lila was having a VERY bad week.  
It was like the world was against her for some reason.

A reason that was still very much unknown to her! 

She was nothing short of saintly. She was the kindest, most genuine person you would ever meet. 

And she was generous to people who had a difference in opinion. 

She had given Marinette a chance to be kind, and logical, and sweet.   
She had given her the chance to keep all of her friends! 

And this is how she has been repaid? 

It started with that brat of a tour guide, and his demonic friend. 

Then Alix had turned against her! 

And then she got her hair cut off! 

And NOW she didn’t have any hair left to cut! 

It was awful! 

And there Marinette is, with everything going her way!   
SHE was nothing short of demonic!! 

And then there was that Chloé brat!

All she did was lie, and talk about-   
Lila stopped when she realized she wasn’t ranting in her head. 

Because screaming about her problems just outside the airport was NOT in her head. 

Uh oh. 

Alix had three things to say about one Lila Rossi.

And the rest of her “friends”. 

One- Lila was severely lacking in brain cells, and she had depleted the remainder within their little class.   
Two- her friends were pretty awful. They used to talk about others long before Lila came.   
And she just let them. Because she was bad too.   
Three- they were all fools. 

When Lila started screaming and crying outside the airport, everyone just stared at her.   
She wailed and cried, she cursed the sky, and Marinette.   
She cursed everyone who had ever wronged her. 

She spoke about how she hoped they met the bitter end. 

And everyone heard every bit of it. 

Alix was sure of one thing. They were finally facing karma for their actions.   
And this was just the beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This book might be on temporary hold in a few days, because school will be starting again. 
> 
> Also- I just found out I’m going biking tomorrow. I haven’t been on a bike for around 6? Years. Last time I went biking I almost got run over. Not a fun day. 
> 
> If I don’t post for a couple of days, I might be dead, or sitting in a hospital because I don’t know how to not get myself injured.   
> In the case of my death, I bequeath this work to whoever wants to finish it. 
> 
> (Do people actually go biking in canyons, or is my mom just messing with me?)


	10. NOT A CHAPTER.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just talking about my day here. This is not a chapter, but feel free to guess about the next one in the comments.
> 
> Read this if you want to know a bit about me I guess.
> 
> And there’s going to be a quick explanation at the end of what’s currently going on, and how things are going to change a bit in the povs and stuff.

This is my biking update. 

I am never going on a bike again. That’s the only conclusion here. 

So here’s what happened for those who are actually curious. 

(Minor context: I haven’t gone biking in several years, and I am extremely uncomfortable with biking, and the last time I went biking I think I was 7? Or 8? Anyway, I was biking on the sidewalk, and this lady was baking out of her driveway. Long story short, I almost got run over. I haven’t touched a bike since.) 

So me and my family went biking today and the following happened: I crashed into a bridge, had a few panic attacks over basically nothing, almost crashed into a few people, and proceeded to crash into a bunch of plants. You know, the usual. 

Anyway, I’m writing this to be a bit of a lesson, and a little learning project. 

Today’s subject is boundaries. 

So here’s a little about me so this will make a bit more sense:   
1- I am extremely anxious. About pretty much everything. Social anxiety (I don’t aspire to be a professional hermit crab for no reason) panic attacks, and normal anxiety.   
I get especially anxious outside my comfort zone (like most people) and I usually have some form of panic when people are yelling or frustrated at me. 

Now imagine this; you haven’t been on a bike for so long you don’t remember how to use it, you are extremely reluctant to go on because you are sure you’re going to kill yourself, and your parents are using their “I can’t deal with my idiot of a child voice.” (Do normal parents have that? A tone of voice where they basically say you’re an idiot and they’ll be impressed if you ever get a job voice? )  
Now imagine having a panic attack over it, (I tend to scratch my arms to the point of drawing blood, or just wringing my hands together to the point where I might break my fingers if I’m not careful.) 

Now imagine getting on a bike in that mental state, and attempting to go 24km. (12 there and 12 back.) 

So yeah, not great. 

When we finished the entire thing, I was told I was overreacting.   
And maybe I was. 

I don’t know. 

But that doesn’t mean it’s okay to try and tell someone their emotions are not valid. 

I don’t exactly have the best relationship with my parents.   
I’m that kid who wrote about how much the world hated me on my walls in crayon when I was five. (And yes, the green crayon still won’t come off.)   
I know they care about me, in their way. 

But sometimes it doesn’t feel like that when everything that goes wrong on a day I wasn’t wanting to do something (being difficult according to my parents) is my fault. 

I crashed into a bridge and got my bike turned over (flipped upside down) and started twisting my hands on the grip thing at the front of the bike (which resulted in sore hands after about two hours.) 

So here’s the little lesson here:   
When someone says no, or that they are not comfortable with something, please don’t push them to do something they don’t want to. They usually have a reason behind it. Consider how others feel just as much as you consider your own feelings.   
People’s fears are not something to laugh at.   
Their feelings and emotions are not a joke. 

And it isn’t okay to tell them otherwise.   
Think about what you say before you say it. I know you have probably heard something like this before, but really think about it. You’re words have a weight; a value. What you say can ruin something as easily as it can create something. 

That’s all for my mini thing about my day. 

STORY UPDATE:   
So as we should know, the class is on their merry way back to Paris, so I wanted to make a few clarifications before the next chapter (which will come later today or tomorrow.) 

We’re going to have split POVs, but when I’m writing about Paris, it will be more of a general overview of how things are over there while events are going on in Gotham. So for all the class, it’s going to be mostly no specific POV, (though they almost all get at least one at some point.) 

I’m also going to be doing mostly Chloé Marinette (Marie, which will also be changing in chapter 12)   
And dick. 

Because school is starting again, I’m going to update about twice a week (I will try to have specific dates, but the story will get updated twice a week until it’s over unless something really bad or upsetting happens. If that is the case, I will leave a comment on the latest chapter explaining a bit, and leaving the date you can expect it to be updated by. 

I’m aiming for around 70,000 words, but I can’t promise anything. 

That’s all for now. 

À bientôt!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That’s all. If you have any questions about me because you’re curious for whatever reason, leave them in the comments if you want them answered. 
> 
> Also- please tell me if people actually like when I talk about myself. I have no idea why this is here.


	11. Plagg’s day off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plagg has a day off (aka causing disaster and chaos for a day without any purpose.)

When you’re the peaceful guardian of a few gods, you should know better than to let the god of destruction roam free without supervision on the lookout for beautiful Camembert. 

Thankfully, Marinette was the guardian, and she understood how important it was to plagg. 

So here he was, outside the average human grocery store. 

One that had an entire section of CHEESE.   
It’s not like anyone would notice if a little bit was missing.   
Only a tiny little 99%. 

When plagg left that store because it ran out of the beautiful food, he went off to his ultimate cheese haven: the cheese store.  
He can safely say that the “disappearance of cheese” around Gotham is single handedly his fault. 

As was the disappearance of one Lila Rossi’s remaining hair after the very unfortunate accident that left her with- whatever hair she had three hours ago. 

With the knowledge that yes, Lila Rossi has indeed fallen in some sense of the word, plagg curled up by the last stack of Camembert he had borrowed (stolen) from that delightful store. 

Chloé was not a happy camper.   
Returning to their apartment only to be met with one cheese loving cat sprawled across her bed with   
five massive boxes of cheese was not on her to do list. 

Marinette had disappeared again, probably off to get more coffee.  
Or to hang out with her new friend. (Crush). 

Which could mean one thing. 

She would be stranded as babysitter until she returned. 

Which you would think would be easy.   
That’s what Chloé has thought last time.   
She would not make that mistake again. 

If she had learned anything about Kwami, especially plagg (just plagg-) it was that he couldn’t be trusted at all costs. 

Mari loved the little satanic beast for some reason Chloé couldn’t fathom.   
The last time she had to watch him, he had destroyed her entire room. 

Because he didn’t get the right cheese. 

She had to get pollen to stun him.   
Tikki ended up fixing her entire room, but she had avoided plagg like, well the plagg ever since. 

So even if he looked like a sleeping angel, Chloé would never be fooled again. 

She said that twenty minutes ago.   
And much to her disappointment, she was also proven wrong in that twenty minutes. 

Because it couldn’t hurt if she just let plagg sleep could it? 

Apparently it could. Her new room was evidence of that. 

The little monster had run out of cheese minutes after he had woken up. 

Her new rule? 

Never leave plagg alone. 

If Lila was being honest with herself, she would begrudgingly admit that she did deserve this.   
But Lila wasn’t honest. That was her personality. Her default. 

Which meant that whatever karma that would emerge would be one Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s fault. Not that it would make much sense.   
The class ensured Marinette never had a chance to get close enough to Lila to know much about her.   
Their lack of knowledge and general intelligence was the only answer she needed.   
They always believed her. What reason would she have to lie to them? 

And if things went her way, it would stay like that. 

Unfortunately, the several lawsuits currently on her mind were very real. 

And she still lacked what she flaunted so often.   
Money and connections. 

Her little herd of sheep however... they had both. 

If she could succeed in placing the blame on Marinette- she might be able to get the girl to pay for the lawsuits too. 

She definitely had enough to pay for at least one of them. 

And she could convince the idiots to pay for the rest. 

While remaining the innocent angel she was and so often portrayed. 

Then she could spend her money fixing her hair.   
Or lack there of. 

Lila really was a devil. 

A devil in disguise. Of course, in today’s society, devil is just another word for an angel.   
Which is exactly what she was.   
And if Marinette didn’t comply, perhaps the Dupain-Cheng’s would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so late. I’ve been doing a mixture of babysitting, being lazy, and packing. This is probably the last chapter before school starts up again, so I’ll try and update wednesday evening? I can’t promise anything, but I will try to get one out. Also, sorry this is so short. I didn’t really have much inspiration here, so I’m hoping the next one is significantly longer.   
> Postscript- this chapter is what plagg is doing from the time between Lila’s haircut, and the lawsuits. 
> 
> Also- usually when I’m doing something like this: (hi). It’s when I mean to cross something out. I haven’t figured out how to do that on Ao3, so when you see that, just pretend it’s supposed to be crossed out. Unless it seems out of context. Then it’s supposed to look like that.


	12. When they fly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello again everyone!!  
> This chapter is mostly Tom and Sabine, but it’s going to have a little bit of Andre and Audrey. 
> 
> Raise a watermelon to cartoon parents! 
> 
> (And yes, you did read watermelon. Not glass, not water bottle. Watermelon. Raise all thy Watermelons I the name of- okay I’ll leave now.)

When their daughter didn’t return with the rest of her class, Tom and Sabine knew exactly what had happened. They had known the day after she left for Gotham. 

There was a note on their bedside table, with a little bracelet wrapped around it. (That reminds me of mulan. Which is my favourite movie with Cinderella. I literally watched it every day until I was 9 or 8? I could probably still recite the entire thing.) 

The only thing they didn’t know, at least completely, was why? 

Why did their baby girl leave them? 

They had really tried. They had tried to be good parents. They had tried to give her the support she needed. 

so this must have been their fault. 

They each blamed themselves. Sabine thought she must have been to pushy. She tried to get her to make friends, and just be happy. 

Tom thought it was his fault. He didn’t know how, but he assumed it was because he always tried to be a part of her life. He had always tried to make sure she was okay. 

Their biggest question was why she chose to go to Gotham. It was a city of crime. 

People went there only when they wish to be lost.  
People went there when they wanted to disappear. 

But that had never been something Marinette had wanted.  
She was someone who wanted to remember and be remembered for the right reasons. 

She wasn’t the kind of person who would just leave for no reason. 

It was the next week when they found out why she had left. 

He classmates had come in to the bakery to buy a few treats. 

Sabine has reminded them that Marinette’s friends get treats for free.  
She always did that.  
It wasn’t out of the ordinary. But their response certainly was. 

“Mari-bitch?” Alya asked tauntingly, twirling her hair in thought. (I copy and pasted the Mari- part. I don’t really swear. I just can’t. It makes me really uncomfortable, but yeah, sorry:( )

Sabine saw red. 

“Out. Get out.”  
She talked to Tom about it after. 

“...do you think she changed her phone number?” 

Tom asked quietly, fiddling with his wedding band.  
It had become a nervous habit for him. 

“Her classmates are bullying her! Why would she keep the same number?!” Sabine exploded.  
She wasn’t angry at Tom.  
It was her daughter’s classmates she was angry at.  
Classmates she had let into her house.  
Classmates who they made cakes for free for their stupid little parties. 

Parties their daughter might’ve not even been invited to. 

And she hated it. She hated them.

She needed a place to leave her anger. 

“...do you think she at least kept ours?”  
Tom asked quietly, still rubbing the golden band between his fingers. 

Sabine didn’t know how to answer.  
“We won’t know unless she calls us.” She said.  
Then, almost comedically, the phone began to ring. 

Sabine picked up. 

“...Chloé?” She asked, genuinely surprised. She was the only classmate Marinette had genuinely asked to come over for several months. 

“Ms. Dupain-Cheng? Er- Sabine. I think we need to talk.” 

When Andre first discovered his Chloé was missing, he threw all of the police force into uproar.  
Not that any of them seemed to genuinely care about his Chloé. 

But at least threatening their jobs and chances to get a different one still worked. 

Honestly, he didn’t know why people complained about their political positions so often.  
Being mayor was fun, easy, and made him an awful lot of totally not stolen from the people of Paris money. 

His Chloé had obviously been kidnapped. She probably asked some old man to kidnap her anyway. 

But Paris wouldn’t like him very much if he made it obvious that he didn’t care his daughter was missing. He would put off the search in two days, and he could probably bribe someone on the police force to say her body had been found.  
Then... then he had to call her mother. 

Maybe-  
He was met with two fuming parents who happened to run the bakery banging on this office door.  
Andre sighed, turning to his too-old-to-care assistant.  
“Let then in.”  
The next fifteen minutes was filled with yelling.  
A whole lot of yelling. 

Apparently, the baker’s daughter was missing too.  
One of Chloé’s only friends. 

Perhaps her only one. 

She groaned, rubbing his forehead in frustration.  
“I’m proclaiming Chloé dead tomorrow. I can-“  
He was cut off with more furious yelling.  
He would proclaim both of them dead tomorrow. 

Even though her parents were still completely against it. 

What they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them. 

Audrey was enraged. How could Anya- er.. Chloé run away? 

She had given so much time and effort into a waste of time, money, and space!  
Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous. 

That girl did nothing but cause trouble. 

And then her classmates had the nerve to send her a lawsuit regarding one Lila Rossi!  
Now she needed to ensure she had already disowned the girl, then she needed to get her lawyers to sue that stupid LiLA rOsSi for daring to try and sue her! HER! 

She could try and sue her for slander. 

And THEN she had to ensure her classmates never got any good jobs for supporting that STUPID lawsuit! 

Which meant she had to work to get revenge! 

Who even does that anymore? 

The girl would be sorry. 

After she ruined her life irrevocably that is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to go up yesterday, but I ended up updating another one of my works. I am also participating in a little writing competition off of Ao3, so I didn’t update then. 
> 
> Also- i was looking through my notifications on Wattpad from a few years ago, and apparently someone wants to publish one of my things on there?  
> I don’t really know how to feel about it, because I left that sight when I found Ao3. I don’t think I’m going to reply, but I still have yet to decide.


	13. The Sunshine of Gotham

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloé learns that she needs more friends. Marinette is allowed to have more friends too. 
> 
> Damian is still being a suspicious little brat, in his natural habitat 
> 
> Mari enjoys a day of relaxation... until she gets a request for a meeting. 
> 
> Right now.

Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne normally considered himself a very Organized, mature, helpful person. But the past week hadn’t exactly been “normal.”   
Firstly, he had met MDC in a coffee shop. And gotten her business card. If he was still secretly fangirling, no one had to know. Second- Dick was somehow more like himself. He almost walked with a bounce in his step. Not that it was unusual, things like this happened all the time. But he couldn’t help to take notice of it. Third, and arguably the most unusual and common, the brat had been even worse. Tim honestly didn’t know that was possible. Which made it even worse. Tim was sure of two things: 1- the demon was up to something 2- he really needed more coffee. And maybe, just maybe, he could make use of that card after all. Chloé was having another bad day. Bad week if she was being honest. Marinette had disappeared again, and Chloé had no idea where she was. When they had decided to move to Gotham, she didn’t think it would be like this. She thought they would watch movies together, and laugh about the weird things they had done in school. When they were friends. Before that. But Marinette always disappeared now. And Chloé accepted that maybe- she needed to make more friends. She and Marinette would always be friends. Always. And making a few more wouldn’t get in the way of that. Which is how she had ended up here. Apparently, walking around Gotham in the mid-afternoon was no safer then the night, or morning. Because now she was here, a burly man curled tightly around her purse strap. And from the looks of it, he had no intention of letting go. And neither did she. She may have been a better person, but she had no intention of letting go of her new handbag. Her new life was in that bag. And she wasn’t about to let go. Chloé was strong, and Marinette was flexible. It was part of the reason why they worked so well together. But that was the issue. Despite his size and stature, the man was agile. Almost as agile as Marinette. And he was set on getting her purse. Not if she could- the man collapsed, releasing her purse. ...unconscious. A man stood beside her now, offering a hand. She took it. “Thanks.” She said, lightly dusting off her clothing. The man quirked an eyebrow. Crap. “Not from around here, are you?” He asks, blue-green eyes glittering. “Yeah. I just moved here.” Chloé rubs the back of her neck, looking sheepish. “Name’s Jason by the way. Care for a tour?” He bowed dramatically, casing her to giggle. “Chloé. And I would love that.” Marinette was stressed. Which is why she had been here for the last six hours. Sitting in a cafe, drinking coffee made entirely out of espresso. Her only company was her sketch book, pen, and computer. She didn’t really know how to handle this. She had been watching the news that morning, drinking her first cup of caffeine. She had left the house soon after. The French news had been average, almost word for word. She had long memorized it. Then Andre Bourgeois came on. And said she and Chloé’s _bodies_ had been found. Chloé’s own father was saying both of them were dead. And it made her feel sick. Not just because Andre had done this, but because her parents had let him. They let him include her too. And they knew where she was. Perhaps that was what had hurt the most. So here she was, working ~~avoiding~~ everything and everyone. She had never felt so, so empty. And it hurt. It felt like she was bleeding from the inside. She wanted someone to wrap their arms around her and just tell her she would be okay. But there wasn’t anyone. She didn’t want to hurt Chloé by telling her her father never bothered to even look for her. Dick probably didn’t want to hear about all her problems. He didn’t deserve to have to deal with her mess. The Kwami always said the same things. It reminded her of that avatar show she had watched a few weeks ago. When everyone he talked to have him the same solution. A solution that wasn’t really a solution. It got rid of the problem, but it just made the protagonist as bad as the antagonist. He had people everywhere. Even in his head. But somehow... he was just as alone in his thoughts as he had been when he was really alone. Just like Marinette. Marinette. She hated her. She hated her. And so did everyone else. That’s when she had gotten the email. It was from the man she had met in the cafe a few weeks ago. Requesting a meeting to discuss a commission. As she read further into the message, her eyes widened almost cartoonishly. A commission for an entire wardrobe. A meeting set in.... an hour?! Marinette jumped from her spot, sprinting out the room. She had business to attend to. By the time she pulled up to the manor, she was completely pulled together. She had business to do. (She doesn’t know the Wayne’s live here yet, she knows who they are though.) She was greeted in the foyer by someone named Alfred, before being guided to the living room (because why not have a meeting there?) Only to be surprised. By a certain Dick Grayson. Sitting on the couch, eating... cereal? It was almost 7pm. And apparently, he was just as surprised. If the confused, and slightly embarrassed stuttering of her name was any indication. “Marie.” She spared him the time her ‘friends’ Had never bothered to give her. In a funny way, it reminded her of how he had introduced himself, sticking with the “Miss. Dupain-Cheng “ stuff, because like it or not, she had been here on a ‘professional’ business trip. With her classmates. So she smiled at him, brilliant as the sunrise. “Call me Marie.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have returned!!! 
> 
> I may or may not have gotten myself banned from technology a few days ago for watching young justice at 1am, but my punishment officially ends today! (On the note of young justice though... dick is Soo short! I’m being honest, I thought he was Tim for a minute. It’s adorable.) 
> 
> Also- I finally get to start using the stuff like astrous soon! 
> 
> Oh! And class is starting in four hours.  
> Hopefully this is done before then, but if not... this is being written at different times.  
> (Also- Marinette Is going to be called Marie or nicknames in future chapters, unless she is being talked to by someone we collectively hate.)


	14. Lila Rossi faces karma (Paris edition!)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lila was sick of this. Sweet, kind people like her didn’t deserve- what the hell was poison what’s her face doing in Paris?!
> 
> Dami continues being suspicious, life continues. 
> 
> Marinette and Dick get more of show next time.

Paris had been peaceful since Marinette and Chloé’s disappearance. When they were announced dead, the class couldn’t have been happier. 

Lila would finally get her peace! 

Lila, on the other hand, was fuming.  
She had put so much effort into making them miserable- er. Being kind to them, and then they just disappear. What a waste. 

Now she needed to find a new target.  
She had the idiots wrapped so tightly around her finger they would never see through her plan.. to make everyone happy. Or something like that.  
She’s sure she had seen ‘happy’ Described by eternal misery somewhere. A dictionary, maybe? 

Nonetheless, toying with the class would prove as a sufficient source of entertainment. 

Rose got her flowers earlier that week... pity would never be so easy to earn... 

Twenty minutes later she stood, crying on Alya’s shoulder as she held the slightly singed flowers. 

“I-I mean, when I let Nino Alix and Max in I didn’t think they would do this!”  
She slid their names in cautiously, waiting for a reaction.  
She had never seen Alya so angry. 

Perfect-  
She was ripped away sharply, vines curling tightly around her.  
“AKUM-“ before she can finish, she quickly realized that this was indeed not an Akuma. 

It was that lady from last week, the one who she had seen around Marinette when she saw her coming back to her room.  
Not that she had been spying or anything. 

But what was she doing here?  
Lila had researched her when she first saw Marinette near her.  
If her class was now convinced Marinette was working with the rouges of Gotham, she would admit (rather proudly) that it was all her fault. 

Unless it was one of her sheep- in which case, it was Marinette’s fault. Maybe her ghost was haunting her and wanted to be mean to her both in life and death. 

Believable enough. 

But that did not solve Lila’s current issue.  
Not one bit. 

“Laddddddyyyyyyybbuuuuuuuggggggggg!!” She screeched at the top of her lungs.  
“Help!!” Twenty minutes later and Lila realized something. This wasn’t an Akuma. 

Which meant there wouldn’t be any Akuma alerts. Which means... ladybug wasn’t coming. 

Lucky for her, Chat Noir did. He was supremely useless. How helpful. 

How very helpful. Lila clenched her fists. She wanted to punch something. 

And she knew, that In some fantastical way, this had to be Marinette’s fault. Even if she was dead. It was her fault. 

And the worst part? The worst part!? 

Chloé’s STUPID mother had given her another lawsuit. Right back in her face! 

She screamed into her pillow for as long as she could. Which wasn’t long. She passed out from the scent curling around her room. 

Poison Ivy.  
Guess the name had meaning after all. 

Damian knew it. He knew it!  
He had known Grayson’s new ‘friend’ was suspicious from the moment he had met her. 

Why else would she change her name? 

Not that he knew what it was or anything. 

If he was being honest, he would never tell Grayson, (or Drake for that matter) that he may or may not have snooped through her entire life for evidence to compile against her.  
It’s unfortunate, honestly.  
If she wasn’t a terrible person, she might’ve been a formidable opponent. 

But alas, he would remain stuck with the self proclaimed “brothers “ who surrounded him. He was the blood child. He was the son. They were visitors. It wasn’t like they had done anything to earn this. Not that he was still bitter or anything. 

When he finally convinced everyone of her guilt, then he would win. 

He just wasn’t sure exactly what she had done. 

That’s when he heard the woman prattling on about some “Hawkmoth character, and his assistant, Mayura.” 

Then he got an idea.  
If anyone questioned him for being in the bat cave when they had a guest in the house his excuse would be simple. 

He thought he had seen some kind of animal there, and he wanted to look for it.  
Or something. He didn’t quite know. 

He did know that he had to be more thorough in his search of her background.  
Because she was suspicious. 

And he was going to find out exactly why. 

Was Dick utterly confused when Marinett- Marie walked in?  
...nooooooooooo.  
He was just a little confused, considering the fact that she was supposed to be in Paris.  
Not Wayne Manor. 

But you know, not that surprising or confusing. Not at all.  
Why she wasn’t in Paris was both the most intriguing, and concerning. And confusing. 

Because, from what he understood, her entire life was in Paris. 

She had never left. So why would she leave now?  
To Gotham of all places?  
When she left the room to get supplies, he asked Tim. “How do you know her?” He asked, putting his cereal (which is a perfectly fine meal for any time of day thank you very much.) aside.  
“How do you?” Tim asked. He seemed more confused then Dick himself, which was impressive. “Technically, I asked first.” 

This was going to be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Karma. 
> 
> Sweet, sweet karma. 
> 
> Still hasn’t happened.
> 
> Also- I just committed to a year of maribat, so if you want to check that out it’s on my homepage. I’m not sure if I can get long updates out as quickly.
> 
> Postscript- I don’t think I’m going to get a chapter out this week. My mental state is basically in shambles (and no, I no longer want my parents to be in my life when I leave, because I feel like people who do nothing but make me feel like I’m going to have a panic attack around aren’t the kind of people I want to surround myself with.) I’m working on getting over some thoughts that aren’t so positive (somehow, writing letters to myself about my own demise is strangely comforting.) I want to take a little time to myself. I need a little time to work on my mental state. And who knows, maybe that will be through writing. This story will be updated before or by Thursday though. Love you all. If you need a place to speak, don’t be afraid to talk about anything here. Your words matter. You matter. -C


	15. Of brothers, friends, crushes, and Damian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This work has returned in all its chaotic glory, and this chapter is.   
> Whatever this chapter is. I present, a chapter.

Chloé had almost forgotten why she had been upset in the first place. 

Jason was fun to talk to. Even if it seemed like it wasn’t something he did too often. 

And honestly? 

She kind of understood why Marinette kept leaving to hangout with others.   
Because she had other friends. 

And now Chloé did too. 

Gotham, beneath it’s surface, was a beautiful city. 

There were small details that stood out, making the city like a “diamond in the rough.” 

It was a little odd though.   
Why would a city known for it’s crime rates have such a large population? 

She couldn’t even begin to guess. 

And she didn’t want to ask her new friend.   
That usually sparked questions like “why did you come?” Questions she didn’t quite know how to answer safely. She was, legally an adult. 

But if someone knew that no one would look if she disappeared, she would be in trouble. 

She knew Marinette would come if she ever got the misfortune of that happening, but Chloé knew her too well. 

If she walked out of that place, Marinette had no intention of leaving if she made a deal to anyone to get her out. 

And Marinette hated lying. 

Jason looked at her curiously.   
His blue-green, almost aqua eyes shimmered in the   
sun, reflecting the tiny specks of green sparkled in his eyes. 

This just had to happen to her, didn’t it. 

She just had to make friends with a hot guy, didn’t she? 

Chloé had come to a single conclusion. 

She was hopeless.

Tim was still waiting for an answer to his very simple question. 

How did Dick know Marie?

Somehow, his older brother had still avoided the question. 

He really needed more coffee. 

Marie finished taking measurements and fabric samples around twenty minutes later, before leaving to work on sketches for his commission, which would be sent to him via email. 

Perfect. 

“So Dick. When did you meet Marie?” He took an imaginary sip of his coffee. 

Dick looked mildly embarrassed, cheeks flaring a faint pink. 

“Two weeks ago. Her classmates were on a graduation trip. I don’t know why she’s still here. I thought all of them went back to Paris. 

..how did you meet her?” 

Tim sighed, running his hands through his hair. 

“Last week, coffee shop. Recognized her when she sat down then talked for a while. I take it the demon met her too?” 

Dick looked surprised, if only for a moment. 

“He did. But how did you-“ Tim pointed to the little brat, who was currently beside the clock, hidden just out of view. Unless you were looking for him, you never would’ve guessed he was there. 

“Damian? How long have you been there?” 

“Exactly five minutes and forty seconds. In other words, he’s been there since the moment she left. “   
It was almost like the kid had an aura that trailed him wherever he went. It was peculiar, but extremely helpful for one who wished to avoid him at all costs.   
Most people would disagree. 

But most people don’t have brothers that try to kill them. 

Right. 

“Damian, I think we need to talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m back!! That’s exciting enough. I’ve been busy working on my year of maribat that no one asked me to do, so that should be fun.   
> I’m going to try to be more consistent over here, but I do have school and homework and stuff, so that could change quickly depending on my workload. 
> 
> I’ve also gone a full day without caffeine.   
> I have a feeling it’s gonna get worse.
> 
> Also- I don’t think I’m going to get this story beta read, mostly because I want to see the difference between using beta and not, but that’s all.


	16. The shenanigans of idiots we all seem to stan.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This has finally updated!!!  
> I’ve been working on my year of prompts, and I’ve had school, so I don’t really know where this can fit. 
> 
> I’m going to try to update as often as possible, but I really can’t do the twice a week thing anymore.
> 
> And the fluff is in the next update, because I now have an excuse to write what I call “winter fluff.” 
> 
> That’s literally the entire necktie chapter. 
> 
> Shenanigans of two idiots on a date that isn’t a date.

Damian Wayne was, quite simply, baffled. And Damian was never baffled. 

It was one of the many reasons he prided himself over the idiots who happened to reside in his home, also known as the ever idiotic Todd, the bigger idiot Drake, and the often over-eager puppy Grayson. 

And now, the ever questionable and suspicious  
l' espoir. (...that’s what I made her last name, right?) 

Even though his ‘brothers’ were clearly idiots, he really thought they would’ve known better. 

She was obviously not from Gotham, which was suspicious enough, and she was nice. 

A trait that was clearly fake. 

Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. 

It was unfortunate that it would be his work to expose the harlot for the little rat she must be, even with the little evidence he had managed to collect thus far. 

Damian shook his head in dismay. 

Why did his father have to pick them? 

Dick was vibrating, giddy.  
Marie had called an hour ago, asking to hang out.  
And since Damian’s usual lecture about not stalking his brothers friends had finished and hour before that, he was free. 

Marie would probably want to see the small shopping district with little vintage treasures tucked away. 

It would be better if she would let him take a few pictures to add to one of his various albums... 

“...ick? Dick? You there?” Jason stood in front of him, waving his hand in front fog his eyes. 

Huh. How odd. 

Dick yawned. “Good afternoon. Do you know what time it is?” 

Jason gave him that smirk that told him he was definitely up to something. 

“Five.” 

Odd. He was supposed to meet Marie at five... 

Crap. He was supposed to meet Marie at five! 

Dick bolted from his chair, spinning around the corner to the door. 

“Thanks!” 

Jason waited for the door to slam before getting up. 

“What the fuck was that?” 

“Language Master Jason!” Alfred called from wherever the heck he had heard him from. 

Marinette paced the room, listing off all the things she needed for her friendship date with Dick.

“Money... definitely money. Should I just bring my card or-“  
“Marinette!” Chloé called from the couch, glaring playfully at her friend. 

“I thought you had this at five?!” 

Marinette looked up at her. 

“Yeah, why?” 

Chloé raised the clock. 

Marinette bolted out the door, grabbing a purse and shoes. 

“Ohno!gottagoseeyoulaterbyewishmeluckkkkkkk!” 

Chloé shook her head, grabbing the small teacup she had on the coffee table. 

She didn’t even bring a coat.


	17. In the cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What was supposed to happen, let’s see... two months ago. 
> 
> Seriously though, to you ever just do work and think you are productive, then you actually look and realize you haven’t updated for over a month?

Marinette refused to go back to her apartment to grab a coat. 

Or weather appropriate shoes. 

Why? 

Because a very special blonde would end up inevitably teasing her. 

And she was not going down like that. 

Not without a fight anyway. 

So here she was, shivering in Gotham’s weather, wearing flip flops, because god forbid she could be lucky for a single day as Marinette. 

But she honestly didn’t think Gotham’s streets would be this crowded. 

It was almost more busy than Paris. 

Why the city of crime has so many residents was an absolute mystery to her. 

Though, if she was being honest, she had never been more happy to be short. 

Though, being rather slender and agile from years of “ladybug-ing”, might’ve been to her advantage. 

It was a miracle someone hadn’t bumped into her and stolen her- 

...Wallet.

Merde...

Marinette skidded to a halt around the corner, a shoe, (flip-flop) went flying. 

Where? 

Who knows, who cares. 

Where was her wallet? 

This, this was going to be an issue. 

What she might’ve never seen coming, was the man who crashed into her not five seconds later. 

The very familiar man who crashed into her. 

Or at least he was familiar when she actually heard him. 

“I’m so, so sorry! Ididn’tseeyouand-“ in her embarrassment, she deemed the ground to be a perfectly worthy companion to dissolve into.

“Marie?” The soft laughter in his voice is what made her bring her eyes to his. 

Eyes widening, she let out a laugh of her own. “Dick?” 

“Nice seeing you here.” Dick bowed, extending a hand. 

Marinette took it, giggling all the while. “Why thank you kind sir.” She said in her best British accent. 

“Are... are you wearing summer clothes?” 

Marinette internally facepalmed. 

“...I overestimated the weather.”

He bowed again.  
Dramatically. 

“Well then,” in a single motion, he had his coat in hands. 

“Care for a coat?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn’t mean for this to be THIS late. 
> 
> I don’t have a schedule, but seriously. 
> 
> I really need to get my stuff together when it comes to updates.

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah.... please forgive me. I don’t really know what the heck’s going to happen... but hopefully it’s enjoyable.


End file.
